Improvement in steam apparatus for buildings



v J. W. PAXO N. Steam Apparatus for Buildings.

No. 200,037. Patented Feb. 5, 1878..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J, WARREN FAXON, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

I MPR OV EMENT IN STEAM APPARATUS FOR BUILDINGSL Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,037, dated February 5, 1878 application filed October 11, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. WVARREN FAXON, of Quincy, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Steam Apparatus for Buildings, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, the figure represents a sectional view of a building showing my improvement.

My invention relates to a steam-heatin g apparatus for buildings, in which the radiators are connected in vertical series with steampipes for conducting steam from the boiler into the radiators, and with return-pipes for conducting the water of condensation back to the boiler, or to another receptacle or outlet.

It is well known. that in buildings used for business purposes, or in any building in which the steam is allowed to go down or is cut off from the radiators at night, the latter become cold, and that when steam is turned on in the morning means of egress must be provided for the cold air in the radiators, and the cold air must be allowed to escape until the radiators are well chargedwith and heated by the steam.

For this purpose it has been the almost universal custom to provide each radiator with an escape-pipe or petcock opening into the room in which the radiator is located, so that the occupants of each room can let out the cold air from the radiator therein. The, air in its escape through the petcocks, must be discharged into the room in which the radiator is located, and it almost always happens that the escaping air forces with it more or less of the water of condensation, which falls onto the floor of the room, and is liable to damage the carpet and the ceiling of the room below. Again, if the petcock is left open too long after the cold air is expelled, the steam escapes in large quantities into the room, doing damage 1n various ways.

My invention has for its object to enable the cold air to be removed from all the radiators in a building without being discharged into the apartments in which said radiators are located, thus dispensing with the use of petcocks, and thereby obviating the abovementioned liability of injuring the building by steam and water.

My invention consists in connecting, with the upper portions of the return pipe or pipes of any desired number of radiators, an air-pipe extending to the outside of the building, and arranged to form an opening or means of 001m munication from the upper ends of the returnpipes to the air outside of the building, whereby the air and waste-steam from the radiators is conductedby way of the return-pipes to the outside of the building, and there discharged, thus dispensing entirely with petcocks, the air-pipe being provided with a suitable valve, located in a hallway or other place where it is accessible to a janitor, whereby it can be opened'lor closed, either wholly or partially, so as to regulate the passage of air and steam, as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings I have represented two vertical series of radiators, A A A and A A A, each series being provided, as usual, with a steam-pipe, B, whereby steam is conducted to all the radiators in the series from the boiler, and with a return or drip pipe, 0, whereby the water of condensation is conducted from all the radiators of the series to a suitable receptacle or outlet at the base of the building. The radiators are of any desired construction, and only differ from those in common use in that they are not provided with the usual petcocks or independent air-vents opening into the rooms in which they are located.

The arrangement of the radiators and the steam and return pipes is common, and constitutes no part of my invention, and the radiators are connected with the pipes B O by valves, as usual. 1 i

D represents the air-pipe which constitutes my improvement. This pipe is connected to the upper ends of all the return-pipes G, as shown, and passes through the roof or other part of the building to the outside of the latter, so as to constitute an opening or passage from the return-pipes G to the air outside of the building.

The pipe D is provided with a valve, D, whereby it may be opened and closed, this valve being preferably located in a hallway, H, or other portion of the building that is accessible at all times to the janitor or other attendant. V

It will be seenthat when steam is admitted 1 1 7 into the radiators,-the latter being in connection with thereturnpipes O, and the valve D in the air-pipe being open, the cold air in all the :radiatorswill'be conveyed,by way of the return'pipes 0, through the'air-pipe :D, to the outside of the building. Hence all the air 7 andwaste-steam from the radiators, together with such water of'condensation as maybe carried along thereby, will be discharged into the open air fromthe outer end of the pipe D, from which the water of condensation will fall onto the roof, and be carried 0E through the gutter, thus rendering'it impossible for any Water or steamto escape into the rooms inwhich the radiators are located, and enabling all the radiators in the building to be heated simultaneously, the janitor'or engineer having only to open the valve D for this latter purpose. sufficiently heated the valve D may either be 7 wholly: or partially closed, the latter being preferable, as in that casea sufficient quantity of air and steam is allowed to escape to keep 'theradiators at uniform temperature, and the 7 return ofthe water of condensation through V the pipes C is facilitated, the air-pipe D obviating the liability'of the water'beiug sus- After the radiators have been pended or held in the pipes O by atmospheric pressure. V V V 7 It is obvious that the air-pipe I) may be connected to any desired number of return pipesO, so that all the radiatorsiin a large building will:find vent through a'single airpipe. If desired, the air-pipe D may be pro vided' with 7 an automatic valve in'plaoe of thevalve D, arranged to close when the escaping air and steam reaches a given velocity.

1' claim as my invention-+ r r r A steam-heating apparatus comprising a Series of radiators, a pipe, B, to conduct steam to said radiators, and a return-pipe, G,in.de-'

pendent of the pipe B, to conduct water from said radiators, combined with a valved airpipe, 1), connected to the upper end of the return-pipe, and constituting a petcock for all the radiators and a ventforthe return-pipe, whereby air is ccnductedfromthe radiators to the outside of the building, and the descent of water through thereturn-pipe is facilitated,

as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed myname :to' this specification in 'thepresence of two '7 subscribing witnesses.

7 J. WARREN FAXQN.

Witnesses E. B. FAIROHILD, O. T. BROWN. 

